Sunday, October 12, 2014

PILLAR of the COMMUNITY

by Michael Douglas Carlin

Those are pretty heavy words–"The Pillar." In the case of JMB, these words have never been more fitting. Their position in the community has been earned over a lifetime of doing the right things for Century City in Los Angeles, California, America and now Mother Earth. On numerous occasions, they have transformed patches of dirt into architectural works of art. They have earned a reputation for improving society every time they embark on a venture. They have risked billions of dollars and been tenacious in unveiling skyline transformations that reward the risk handsomely. Each of their Century City investments improves the revenue of the City of Los Angeles, adds upscale office space, and converts a patch of dirt to the highest possible use.

No wonder politicians flock to them, investors court them, top managers vie for positions in their company, and vendors struggle to get their attention. JMB has roots in almost every single building within Century City. They have placed their mark indelibly upon the landscape of what has become the financial capital of the West Coast. The entire time they have been working hard to bring the dream of Century City to fruition, it has been an uphill battle. Yet JMB has always found a way to win. They worked with local neighborhood groups on the details of every project to design and fully integrate their buildings into the fabric of the community.

But what would we expect from the pillar of the community? They have brought tax revenues, created jobs, added value, put capital to good use, and provided an increased quality of life for so many people. But, there is so much more that JMB has done as the pillar of the community. For years, they maintained the common areas within Century City at a substantial cost that will never be repaid.

Now they are leading the way through their sustainability initiatives. Constellation Place was the first building in Los Angeles to become LEED EB Certified, and, in 2010, they attained LEED EB Gold Certification. They installed solar panels on the rooftops of two parking structures that reduce the daytime demand of energy by twenty-nine percent. Recently, they installed Bloom Fuel Cell Power Generators that power thirty-three percent of the building's power demand, thereby reducing emissions by thirty percent.

When we look at what is wrong with America, let's put it into a context of what is right with America. Hardworking people continue to improve patches of dirt into their highest uses. They get well paid for being risk-takers. We need to celebrate their accomplishments and encourage more of this sort of activity to get America back on track. Perhaps Judd Malkin, Jody Talintino, Vallery Hall, and Sarah Shaw are interested in running for a higher office. Perhaps their plan for a better tomorrow is a good one, and we should all get out of the way and let them continue doing what they have proven they can do—to perfection.

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